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Setsubun is the day before the beginning of spring in the old calendar in Japan. The name literally means 'seasonal division', referring to the day just before the first day of spring in the traditional calendar, known as ; though previously referring to a wider range of possible dates, is now typically held on February 3 (in 2021 and 2025 it was on 2nd February), with the day after – the first day of spring in the old calendar – known as Lichun]]. Both and are celebrated yearly as part of the Spring Festival (Haru matsuri) in Japan. was accompanied by a number of and traditions held at various levels to drive away the previous year's bad fortunes and obake for the year to come.
has its origins in Nuo rituals]], a Chinese custom introduced to Japan in the 8th century. It was quite different from the known today. According to the Japanese history book , was first held in Japan in 706, and it was an event to ward off evil spirits held at the court on the last day of the year according to the lunar-solar calendar. At that time, was an event to drive away evil spirits that brought misfortune and disease by decorating each gate of the palace with clay figures of cows and children and using peach branches and walking sticks.
The custom of as we know it today began in the Muromachi period (1336–1573). Every household of the aristocracy and samurai class threw beans from their houses into the open air. The , a dictionary compiled during the Muromachi period, states that the practice of bean-throwing during originated from a legend in the 10th century, during the reign of Emperor Uda, that a monk on Mount Kurama escaped misfortune by blinding with roasted beans. The Japanese word for bean, 豆, is pronounced , which can be written as , and some believe that the pronunciation is similar to that of mametsu, meaning 'to destroy the devil', which is why people began throwing beans during .
From the Edo period (1603–1867), the custom of throwing beans at Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and homes of ordinary people spread throughout Japan as an event or festival to drive away evil spirits during . It was also during this period that the custom of tying roasted sardine heads to holly sprig to decorate the gates of houses during began. This custom was intended to scare away with the thorns of the holly leaves and the smell of the roasted sardines. The original form of this custom is recorded in the , compiled in 934 during the Heian period (794–1185). The diary describes a Shinto (sacred rope) that was hung on the gate of a house during the New Year's holiday to mark the boundary of purification, and that a mullet head pierced with a sprig of holly was attached to the .
The custom of eating ehōmaki on began in the geisha districts from the Edo period to the Meiji period. is a special (sushi roll) eaten on . On , people face the most auspicious direction of the year and eat the whole , an uncut sushi roll, to pray for prosperity and happiness for the year. It is believed that it was originally called simply marukaburi zushi or futomaki zushi. The name may have spread throughout Japan in 1989, when a Japanese convenience store chain renamed it and began selling it.
The custom of first appeared in the Muromachi period, and is usually performed by either a man of the household born in the corresponding Chinese zodiac year for the new year (toshiotoko), or else the male head of the household.
Because Watanabe no Tsuna, a retainer of Minamoto no Yorimitsu during the Heian period (794–1185), is associated with the legend that he vanquished historically considered to be the strongest, such as Shuten-doji and Ibaraki-doji, there is a tradition that stay away from people named Watanabe and their houses. For this reason, some families with the surname Watanabe have not practiced the custom of throwing beans on Setsubun for generations. Watanabe no Tsuna was the first person to take the surname Watanabe, and Watanabe is the fifth most common surname in Japan, with approximately 1.08 million people .
Though still a somewhat common practice in households, many people will also or instead attend a shrine or temple's spring festival, where the practice of is performed; in some areas, such as Kyoto, this involves a dance performed by maiko, after which the apprentices themselves throw packets of roasted soybeans to the crowds. In other areas, priests and invited guests throw packets of roasted soybeans, some wrapped in gold or silver foil, small envelopes with money, sweets, candies and other prizes. In some bigger and more central shrines, celebrities and sumo wrestlers are invited to celebrations, usually to events that are televised. At Sensō-ji in the Asakusa neighborhood of Tokyo, crowds of nearly 100,000 people attend the annual festivities.
Other practices include the putting up of small decorations of sardine heads and hiiragi iwashi at the entrance to a house to ward off evil spirits. A special variety of sake known as shōgazake brewed with ginger is also customarily drunk on . Each region of Japan has its own lucky charms to eat on . Soybeans used for and soba are the most common, but in the Hokkaido and Tōhoku region, and in the Kanto region, tea with kelp and sardines in Kansai region, konjac in Shikoku region, sea cucumber in the Oki Islands, and whale in the San'in region are also eaten.
Because is considered to be a day set apart from the rest of the year, a tradition of role reversal in appearance and dress was also practiced; such customs included girls wearing the nihongami of older women and vice versa, wearing disguises, and cross-dressing. This custom is still practiced among geisha and their clients when entertaining on .
tabi geinin, who were normally shunned during the year because they were considered vagrants, were welcomed on to perform ethics plays. Their vagrancy worked to their advantage in these cases, as they were considered to take evil spirits with them.
There are many variations on the famous chant. For example, in the city of Aizuwakamatsu, people chant
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